Time's End
by r4d1c4lization
Summary: Every second counts. But somehow, so many are wasted...And one day, there may not be any seconds left.


This fanfic was inspired by a remix of "Final Hours," called "Time's End" (which is where the title of this fic comes from). Look it up on YouTube; it's an amazing song (:

Sorry I haven't done any writing lately. I promise to get to work on those unfinished fics right away! But for now, I hope you'll enjoy this one!

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><p>In the midst of Termina Field, I could hear the bells ringing. Once, twice... Twelve times they chimed. Midnight. Fireworks lit the sky.<p>

_"You have three days."_

This was day three. For the thirtieth time now (Or was it more? I couldn't remember; my memories of the repeated days were beginning to run together...). Midnight of day three.

There wasn't much time left.

I urged Epona to go on. But suddenly, she stopped, refusing to go a step further. That's right, I had nearly forgotten; she refused to go into Clock Town. I didn't know why. Maybe she could feel the evil hovering over it. I certainly could. I'd have to continue on foot. I slid off of her back, patted her head, and ran through the doorway into South Clock Town, across the open space, and up to the clock tower. The door was already open, waiting for me.

I climbed the steps slowly, preparing myself for what was ahead. I had the giants on my side, but even so, there was no way the Skull Kid would go down without a fight. I turned back once. The area was entirely empty, aside from the guard who stood solemnly with his hand over his heart, staring at the moon.

He's died numerous times, I thought. So have Anju and Kafei. And Romani and Cremia, and the Bombers and the mayor and the old man in the observatory and the Dekus and the Zoras and everyone else in Termina. Every time I called on the Goddess of Time to help me—every time I left to go back to Day One—I left that world for a new one, leaving the old one to be destroyed because I couldn't save them in time. At least thirty times I've played that song. At least thirty times everyone here has died.

Not again. I refuse to play that song again. To save myself and leave these people to suffer because I messed up again. No, this time I'll win for sure. This time, they'll survive. They'll all see the dawn of a new day. The Hell of constant death and return just to die again will finally be over. I swear it.

There's no going back now.

I continued up the steps until I reached the flat platform at the top. The moon was closer than ever. Time was running out. I looked around. There he was, using the mask's power to float casually above me. He was staring out at Termina Field in the direction of the Southern Swamp. I took a deep breath. This was it. I drew my sword and waited.

For a moment, he seemed to ignore me. Then, slowly, he turned. "Well, well. You're too late. Just look above you..."

I didn't have to look. I knew how close it was. I knew that looking up simply meant staring into it, only to have it stare back, right into my soul. I prepared myself for whatever would come next.

"If it's something that can be stopped, then just try to stop it!" He let out an ear-piercing scream. I flinched. It felt as if my eardrums would be shattered by the sound. When it finally stopped, I looked up. There it was, inching closer and closer to the earth, faster now than before. There wasn't much time left.

"Link, hurry!"

I glanced up at Tatl. I'd almost forgotten she was there. I smiled at her reassuringly, and nodded. Silently, I sheathed my sword, then reached for the Ocarina of Time.

I heard him laugh. "Are you going to play me a pretty song? Have you finally lost hope?" I tried to ignore him, but his words found their way into my mind anyway, his tone mocking and sarcastic. "Ooh, I know, you're going to play something dark and depressing, to lament your loss! Right?"

Suddenly he was quiet. I could feel him staring at me, waiting. I somehow knew that he wasn't about to try anything. I could feel the air around me moving as the moon drew closer with each second. And yet, my fingers wouldn't move. I tried to remember, but it wouldn't come—how did that song go? I played a few notes. No, that wasn't right! I tried again, it was starting to sound right—no, that isn't it either. I'd figured out the beginning, but the rest was still a mystery. The tune played over and over again in my head, but my fingers couldn't remember where to move to make it real.

I began to panic. Help! Someone! Goddess of Time, Din, Farore, Nayru, Giants—anyone! A few more notes. It sounded right until—no! Time is running out..!

"What...Are you trying..?"

I paid no attention to him, despite the fact that I could still feel staring me down. A few more notes. I finally had all but the last note, but I had it figured out now. Once more, I just have to finish it!

"That song!" he shrieked, as if terrified. "Don't you dare play that song!"

I ignored him again. So close, so close!

Suddenly, the ocarina wasn't there. The music had stopped halfway through the song. In its place, I heard my own voice. A shout. Then a sudden crash. The pain was intense. I lifted myself from the ground and looked around. I was on the other side of the platform. Before I had even realized it, he had used the mask's magic to throw me into the wall. Slowly, I stood. Everything hurt, but there was no time for that. The ocarina—where did it land?

There. Right where I had previously been standing, it was laying on the ground in the Skull Kid's shadow. I glanced at him. He was holding his head in his hands.

"Not them," he was saying, "anyone but them!"

I had to get the ocarina. Clenching my teeth against the pain, I made a run for it. I jumped, snatched it up, and rolled until I was on my feet again. The music began. The notes flowed beautifully and with certainty. One, two, three, fo—

I felt it before its effect was carried out. Tightening my grip on the ocarina, I managed to keep it in my hands as I was swept off my feet again. I turned midair so that my back hit the wall, and curled my body around the fragile ocarina to protect it. For a moment, I didn't know if I would be able to stand. But I didn't have to. I was lifted into the air again, then dropped. I continued to protect the ocarina, crashing to the floor face-first. Everything went black for a moment. All I could think about was the pain; everything else was gone.

There was suddenly a voice in my ear. Low, evil... "Why are you here?" it asked.

Why, indeed? I remembered something to do with a song... And saving Hyrule, right? No, wait, I left Hyrule. Where _was_ I..?

"There's no hope, you know. Termina is done for." (Is that the name of this place? Termina?) "There's no more time. Just accept it."

_Time!_ Suddenly, everything came rushing back. Time! Of course! The Song of Time! That's what I needed to do!

I raised the ocarina to my lips, ready to play the melody that could fix everything. But I hesitated for a moment. Something about this didn't feel right. I couldn't afford any mistakes. What was I supposed to do?

My hesitation was enough of an opening for the voice to speak again. "Are you sure you want to try that again? Are you sure it's the right choice?" And then he laughed... That menacing laugh...

I could feel it. The madness of that mask washed over me like a wave. A wild grin spread across my face, and the ocarina dropped to the floor.

He was right. This was pointless. He was offering exactly what I wanted—an end to the cycle of reliving the same three days over and over again. Yes, now I remembered exactly what I was doing here. Every second of it replayed in my mind. All of these people I didn't even know asking me to help solve their problems. And then, once time is reversed, it's like I did nothing! Yet there was Skull Kid, offering an end to it, and I was trying to stop him? How foolish I had been!

I looked up at the moon, still inching even closer. It would be very soon. I couldn't help it—I began to laugh. It almost mimicked the Skull Kid's laughter in its insanity.

There was a voice in my ear. A high, almost squeaky voice. It was annoying. I didn't even know what it was saying. I just heard it, constantly in my ear. Was the owner of the voice yelling at me? It was hard to tell.

It was gradually becoming clearer. "...let him win! Link, snap out of it! Link!"

I glared at the small fairy floating by my face. Tatl. I swatted her away. _Maybe that would teach her to be quiet, _I thought. _When I want her opinion, I'll ask for it._

"Link," she continued weakly, "you don't want this..."

_Idiot. I know what I want._

"Traitor!" I looked for the source of the new voice. There was a purple fairy next to Tatl. That's right, she had a brother, but what was his name? Tail? "How dare you! Stringing all of these people along, making them believe that you're trying to help them, only to stand by and laugh at their suffering?"

"Tael..."

"And not only that, but you would hurt the only one who's helped you this whole time! You... You aren't human!"

"Shut up!" shouted Skull Kid. "Stupid fairies! What do you know, anyway? This kid's got the right idea!"

Tatl was up and flying again. "Link... Didn't that instrument hold special meaning to you? Did someone you care about give it to you?"

I stared at her for a moment. Zelda gave it to me, yes, but what did she have to do with anything? She was back in Hyrule. Nothing that happened here concerned her!

"That ocarina has special powers," she went on, "it must be incredibly important. They gave it to you for a reason, Link! Do you really want to let that person down? Even if nobody in Termina matters to you anymore, isn't that person enough of a reason to not give up?"

Everything seemed to stop at that moment. She was right. Zelda meant more to me than anything. The moon crashing would not only destroy Termina, it would also destroy... me. I would never see Zelda again.

It was as if a spell had been broken. What was I thinking? She wasn't the reason I needed to go on; my own life wasn't even the reason! The people of Termina weren't strangers asking me to solve their problems. They were real people, with real lives! But if I didn't do something fast, those lives would all be lost. What they needed wasn't a problem solver; they needed a hero.

I snatched up the ocarina from the ground, ready to call the giants to help me. But it was only then that I glanced up at the moon again. They wouldn't have enough time to get here! My only hope was the Song of Time. I started to play it quickly, trying to finish it, but I never did. I stopped when suddenly I remembered my promise.

_I refuse to play that song again. To save myself and leave these people to suffer because I messed up again._

My hands fell to my sides. It was as if all of my strength had left me; I fell to my knees. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't save myself and leave another Termina to fall.

I could feel it. The pressure, the heat, all trying to destroy my body at once. His laughter rang in my ears.

All was lost.


End file.
